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Drought Ordinance Revisions Extend Watering Times; Amend Enforcement Process
Posted: November 17, 2006
 At its November 13, 2006 meeting, the Plano City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2006-11-15, a revised version of the city’s Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Plan passed last May. Changes to the new ordinance include provisions for foundation maintenance, tree irrigation, power washing, extended watering times and new enforcement procedures.
“This past summer has proven to be a real learning experience and so we made changes to the ordinance based on some of the things that we have learned” said Jimmy Foster, Director of Public Works.
In the previous ordinance Plano prohibited outdoor watering between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm. The prohibited timeframe has been amended to add two additional hours of watering time, thus the new prohibited outdoor watering times will be 10:00am – 6:00pm. Designated watering days, according to zone, have not been changed.
Questions regarding foundation maintenance and tree irrigation were among the most common calls received by the city during the hot summer months. The new ordinance clarifies that drip irrigation for foundations and trees may be used as often as deemed necessary by the property owner (except between the hours of 10:00am and 6:00pm).
The new ordinance also provides contractors the opportunity to use power washing equipment as long as a portable water tank is used as the source of water.
Another significant change in the new ordinance is the way that enforcement will be handled.
The process has gone from a municipal penalty process to an administrative fee process. Instead of a citation, violators will see a small blue flag placed in the ground out by the water meter and a door hanger will be placed indicating a water violation has occurred.
For those with automatic sprinkler systems, the irrigation system will be locked off and will not be unlocked until a fee is paid to the city. Similar provisions have been made for those who irrigate manually. Water for domestic (i.e., indoor) use will not be turned off due to water restriction violations.
“This process will be far more effective in getting irrigation water use under control, which is one of our primary goals during a drought response stage,” states Lorrie Reeves, Water Education Coordinator for the city.
Even though North Texas has received some rain lately Stage 3 restrictions remain in place. The lake level at Lavon, Plano’s primary water source, remains 16 feet below normal and the recent rains have had very little effect in making up for the lack of rain this past year.
An information hotline detailing Plano’s water use restrictions has been activated at (972) 769-4338.
For the City of Plano’s new Drought Contingency Plan (see Drought Contingency Plan UPDATED), and additional drought information, click here.
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